Fiery Grilled Shrimp with Honeydew Gazpacho

Cold soup and hot shrimpthis is a fantastic combination on a warm night. Blending the honeyed sweetness of this summer melon with intensely savory vegetables makes this dish incredibly refreshing. And I give the hot, spicy shrimp a hit of freshness by grilling finely sliced mint right onto them.

Preparation

Cut away the honeydew rind and the dark green flesh close to the rind. Cut the honeydew into 1-inch chunks. You should have 4 cups of melon.

Put the melon in a blender along with the fennel, celery, cucumber, and jalapeños. Blend on low speed until almost smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Stir in the minced chile, lime juice, salt, and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover tightly and refrigerate until very cold.

When ready to serve, heat your grill on high until very hot.

Sprinkle salt, chile flakes, and the mint all over the shrimp, then gently press in the seasonings. Drizzle a little oil all over the shrimp. Grill the shrimp, flipping once, until just opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Skewer to serve if desired.

Divide the cold soup among cold serving bowls. Serve the hot shrimp on small plates next to the bowls. Drizzle a little oil over the soup and shrimp. Garnish the soup with mint and squirt a little lime juice over the shrimp. Serve immediately.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.

Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.